Root crop harvesting implement

ABSTRACT

A root crop harvester includes a main frame, a plurality of digger wheels on the front of the main frame, conveyor means supported on the frame to receive roots from the digger wheels and deliver the same to a transversely extending auger conveyor which moves the roots to a vertical auger conveyor. An additional conveyor mounted on the upper end of the vertical auger conveyor in root-receiving relationship therewith moves the roots laterally outwardly to a deposit area. In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of grab rolls are associated with the transverse auger conveyor to clean the roots as they are moved to the vertical auger conveyor.

United States Patent [1 1 Zaun et al. Feb. 12, 1974 [54] ROOT CROPHARVESTING IMPLEMENT 2,726,500 12/1955 Faust 171/1 18 1 [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,693,068 11/1954 Rodin 4 171/23 1,714,8895/1929 Raoult 171/113 2,630,051 3/1953 Palmerm. 171/113 518,770 4/1894Y0ung.;... l7l/ll3 1,331,957 2/1920 Devey 171/113 Wayne Hook, both ofDes Moines,

Iowa

Assignee: Deere & Company, Moline, [1].

Filed: Dec. 17, 1971 Appl. No.: 209,124

US. Cl. 1.71/58, 171/113 Int. Cl A0ld 17/00 Field of Search... 171/18,25, 28, 58,113,118,

l7l/l33, 23, 138, 144; 214/17 C 'Primary ExaminerAntonio F. Guida [5 7]ABSTRACT A root crop harvester includes a main frame, a plurality ofdigger wheels on the front of the main frame, conveyor means supportedon the frame to receive roots from the digger wheels and deliver thesame to a transversely extending auger conveyor which moves the roots toa vertical auger conveyor. An additional conveyor mounted on the upperend of the vertical auger conveyor in root-receiving relationshiptherewith moves the roots laterally outwardly to a deposit area. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plurality of grab rolls are associatedwith the transverse auger conveyor to clean the roots as they are movedto the vertical auger conveyor.

12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENI FEB 1 2 I974 SHEET10F4 I R. W. HOOKfiz/gwm ATTORNEY PATENTEBFEB 1 21914 INVENTORS R.D.ZAUN R. w. HOOK sameor 4- FIG. 2

ATTORNEY PATENTEUFEBI 2 3,791,451

sum a nr 4 ATTORNEY ROOT CROP HARVESTING IMPLEMENT CROSS REFERENCE TORELATED APPLICATIONS This application discloses subject matter common tocopending U. S. applications Ser. Nos. 209,1 16, 209,117, and 209,l23,now U.S. Patent No. 3,695,360, all filed concurrently herewith.Application Serial No. 209,123 issued aspatent No. 3,695,360, on October3, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally toagricultural harvesting equipment and more particularly relates toharvesters for root crops such as sugar beets. In the followingbackground of the invention and description of preferred embodiment, theroot crop harvesting implement will be described as a sugar beetharvester, but it should be understood that reference is made to sugarbeets only for the purpose of providing a specific disclosure and notfor limiting the invention.

Beet harvesters have remained basically unchanged for many years andhave relied primarily upon chain conveyors or potato chains to move thebeets from the digger wheels to a truck or trailer running alongside theharvester or to a tank on the harvester for subsequent delivery to atruck or trailer. Potato chains by their very nature are subject togreat wear and, since they run continuously while harvesting, often lastonly one or two harvesting seasons before they have to be completelyreplaced. Although the replacement of the potato chains is not aparticularly difficult task, it did take considerable time, especiallyif replacement was required in the middle of a harvesting season, andthe continual replacement of the potato chains throughout the life ofthe harvester became quite expensive.

SUMMARY or THE INVENTION The principal object of the present inventionis to provide a root crop or beet harvester which uses few conveyorchains as compared to the prior art beet harvesters.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a beetharvester which utilizes auger conveyors to move the beets laterally andelevate them to a position where they can be deposited in a truck ortrailer moving alongside the harvester.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a beet harvesterwhich is of simplified construction, can be manufactured moreeconomically than prior art beet harvesters, and which utilizes fewerchain conveyors which require constant replacement.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a beetharvester which uses augers to convey the beets and which hasbeet-cleaning means associated with the augers.

The above objects and additional objects and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent, along with the details of constructionof preferred embodiments of the invention, to those skilled in the artfrom a reading of the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a beet harvester constructed in accordancewith the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the beet harvester illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating a modified form ofthe invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the harvester illustrated in FIG.4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line66 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings,and in particular to FIGS. 1-3, the beet harvester illustrated thereinis indicated generally by the numeral 10 and includes a front framemember 12, a rear frame member 14, a left side frame member 16, frontand rear laterally offset right side frame members 18 and 20, anintermediate frame member 22 interconnecting the right side framemembers, and a diagonal brace member 24 extending between the front andrear right side frame members.

The rear portion of the main frame is supported by a pair of wheels 26joumaled on the lower ends of fork members 28 which have their upperends secured to the rear frame member 14. Each of the fork members 28 isreleasably secured to the rear frame member 14 by a pair of clampassemblies 30 so that by loosening the clamp assemblies, the forkmembers can be moved along the rear frame member 14 and the wheelspositioned to conform to various row spacings.

The forward end of the main frame is supported by a forwardly extendinghitch 32 which is adapted to be connected to a tractor drawbar(undisclosed). The hitch 32 is connected to the frame for both verticaland lateral movement. To this end, a vertical pivot shaft 34 issupported on the front frame member 12 by a pair of vertically spacedplates 36 secured to the front frame member 12 and by support members 38which extend diagonally between the ends of the front frame member 12and the forward end of the plates 36. Pivot blocks 40 and 42 are securedto the upper and lower ends, re spectively, of the pivot shaft 34 andthe rear end of the hitch 32 is pivotally connected to the pivot block42 for vertical movement by a pivot pin 44. The rod end of a hydrauliccylinder 46 is pivotally connected to the pivot block 40 and the anchorend of the cylinder 46 is pivotally connected to a bracket 48 integralwith the hitch 32 so that, by extending and retracting the cylinder 46,the forward end of the main frame is raised and lowered. Lateralmovement of the hitch 32 about the axis of the pivot shaft 34 will beunder the control of a conventional row finder unit and hydrauliccylinder which are undisclosed as they form no part of the presentinvention.

A pair of support plates 58 and 60 depend from the leftand right-handsides, respectively, of the main frame and each is spaced inwardly ofits respective frame bar. Each of the supporting plates 58 and 60 isprovided with an upper horizontal flange portion 62 which projectstoward the respective side frame member and is secured thereto in anysuitable manner.

A plurality of digger wheel assemblies are secured to the front framemember 12 in spaced relation to each other and each includes a pair oflifter wheels 50 and a paddle 52. Each pair of lifter wheels is mountedon the lower end of a standard 54 which has its upper end secured to thefront frame member 12 by releasable clamps which permit the wheelassemblies to be adjusted along the front frame member to conform tovarious row spacings.

A non-circular cross shaft 56 extends between the support plates 58 and60 and is rotatably supported on the support plates by suitablebearings. The paddles 52 are mounted on the cross shaft 56 to be driventhereby and can be adjusted along the length of the cross shaft 56 toconform to various row spacings. The manner in which the cross shaft 56is driven will be described hereinafter along with the description ofthe drive train of other components of the harvester.

A conveyor is carried by the support plates 58 and 60 directly behindthe digger wheel assemblies and includes upper and lower transverseshafts 64 and 66 which extend between and are journaled on the supportplates 58 and 60. Sprocket wheels 68 are mounted on the shafts 64 and 66and serve to mount and drive a potato chain 70 which receives beets fromthe digger wheel assemblies and conveys the same upwardly andrearwardly. As an alternative to the shaft 66 and the sprocket wheelsmounted thereon, the lower end of the chain 70 could be supported by apair of conventional cantilever-mounted cone rollers.

A vertical auger conveyor is supported by the main frame between therear frame member 14 and the intermediate frame member 22 and includes acylindrical housing 72 which is provided with a plurality of openings 73forming a cleaning grate. The auger housing is closed at both ends,buthas a laterally directed opening adjacent its lower end and arearwardly directed opening adjacent its upper end. An auger including acore 74 and a helical flighting 76 secured to the core is journaledwithin the housing 72 to elevate beets from the lower opening in thehousing to the upper opening in the housing. Although not illustrated inthe drawings or described therein, the vertical auger is preferably ofthe type illustrated, described and claimed in the abovementionedcopending application Ser. No. 209,1 16. Protective plates 77a, 77b and77c are secured to the lower end of the auger housing and the main frameat the front, side and rear, respectively, of the auger housing to helpsecure the auger housing to the main frame and to also provideprotection for the lower end of the auger housing. The precise manner inwhich the vertical auger conveyor is secured to the main frame forms nopart of the present invention since numerous alternatives will beapparent'to those skilled in the art.

A plurality of elongated grab rolls 78 each have one end journaled inthe support plate 58 and an opposite end journaled on a bracket 80carried on a mounting bar 81 secured to the bottom wall 82 of thehousing 72. A cross auger including a central core 84 and a helicalflighting 86 has one end journaled in the support plate 58 above thegrab rolls 78 and its opposite end journaled in a bracket 88 dependingfrom across bar 90 extending between the frame members 14 and 22. Thegrab rolls 78 are positioned parallel to one another, and to the axis ofrotation of the cross auger to form a trough for the cross auger. Acurved shield 92 directly to the rear of the cross auger extends betweenthe support plate 58 and the housing 72 in close proximity to the rearof the cross auger to form a continuation of the trough for the crossauger. The right-hand ends of the grab rolls and cross auger extendbeyond the right-hand side of the potato chain 70 and an additionalcurved shield 94 extends between the support plate 60 on the right sideof the main frame to the housing 72 in close proximity to the front ofthe cross auger to form a continuation of the trough therefor.

An additional conveyor indicated generally at 95 is mounted on the upperend and to the rear of the vertical auger in beet-receiving relationshipto the opening provided in the upper end of the auger and includes apair of side walls 96 and 98 and a bottom wall 100. A pair of plates 102and 104 are secured to the housing 72 of the vertical auger and eachhave a section projecting under the bottom wall 100 of the additionalconveyor to provide support therefor. The plates 102 and 104 alsoprovide a guide for the beets between the vertical auger conveyor andthe additional conveyor. A plurality of rollers 106 are rotatablymounted between the side walls 96 and 98 and an endless flexible element108 in the form of a belt or potato chain is trained about the rollersto deliver beets laterally outwardly for deposit into a truck or trailermoving alongside of the harvester. A hydraulic motor 110 is mounted onthe side wall 96 and operatively connected to one of the rollers 106 toprovide the power to drive the endless flexible element 108. A pair ofhydraulic lines 112 and 114 extend from the hydraulic motor 110 and areadapted to be connected to the hydraulic system of the tractor to whichthe harvester is coupled. The conveyor 295 also extends laterallyinwardly from the vertical auger conveyor, but this feature isunimportant as far as the present invention is concerned. For anunderstanding of why the upper conveyor 295 also projects inwardly fromthe vertical auger conveyor, reference can be had to the above-mentionedcopending U. S. application Ser. No. 209,123.

The drive train for the movable components of the harvester includes amain drive shaft extending from a central portion of the main frame tothe power take-off of the tractor. The main drive line includes a firstportion 116 which has its rear end journaled in a transfer box118 andits forward end journaled on a support member 120 secured to the forwardframe member 12. A guard 122 covers the first portion '116 of the maindrive line. A second portion 124 of the main drive line is connected tothe first portion 116 by a U-joint 126 and extends forwardly to thetractor. A chain in the transfer box 118 transfers power from the driveshaft 116 to a gear box 128 which drives oppositely extending shafts 130and 132 in opposite directions. The shaft 130 is driven in acounterclockwise direction when viewed from the left as" illustrated inFIG. 2 and the shaft 132 is driven in a clockwise direction when viewedfrom the left. The shafts 13,0 and 132 extend through the support plates58 and 60, and are covered by shields 134. A sprocket wheel 136 ismounted on the outer end of the shaft 132 and a pair of sprocket wheels138 and 140 are mounted on the outer end of the shaft 130. A drive chain142 is trained about the sprocket wheel 138 and a sprocket wheel 144 onthe left-hand end of the cross shaft 56 for the paddles 52 so that thepaddles 52 are driven in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG.2.

A chain 46 is trained about the sprocket wheel 140 and extendsrearwardly and downwardly to a sprocket wheel 148 mounted on theleft-hand end'of a drive shaft 150 which has its left-hand end journaledin a lower rear portion of the support plate 58 and extends laterallyacross the implement to a right-angle gear box 152 which is mounted onthe bottom wall of the housing 72 for the vertical auger'conveyor andwhich has an output shaft 154 connected to the core 74 of the vertica]auger. An additional sprocket wheel 156 on the drive shaft 151) isinterconnected with a sprocket wheel 158 for the cross auger by a chain168. By having the vertical auger and cross auger driven from the sameshaft 150, they remain properly timed for efficient transfer of beetsfrom one auger to the other.

An additional cross shaft 162 extends between the upper and lowerflights of the potato chain 70, has its ends journaled in the supportplates 58 and 60, has a pair of sprocket wheels 164 and 166 mounted onits right-hand end, and has a sprocket wheel 168 mounted on itsleft-hand end. A drive chain 170 is trained about the sprocket wheels136 and 164 on the shafts 132 and 162, respectively, for driving theshaft 162. A sprocket wheel 172 on the end of the upper shaft 64 for thepotato chain 70 is interconnected with the sprocket wheel 166 on theshaft 162 by a chain 174 to drive the potato chain 170.

Sprocket wheels 176 are mounted on the left-hand ends of the grab rolls78 and are interconnected with the sprocket wheel 168 on the left-handend of the shaft 162 by a chain 178. The lower flight of the chain 178passes alternately under and over alternate sprocket wheels 176 to driveadjacent grab rolls in opposite directions, and at its end remote fromthe sprocket 168 passes about an idler sprocket wheel 180. As analternate arrangement, the grab rolls could all be driven in the samedirection as the cross auger.

To cover some of the moving parts and add to the appearance of the beetharvester, a cover plate 182 is mounted on the forward portion of themain frame over the digger wheel assemblies, and a cover 184 is mountedover the cross auger.

' The operation of the beet harvester is as follows. The tractoroperator will engage the tractor power take-off to drive the main driveshafts 124 and 116 to provide power to the various. driven components ofthe harvester and will also adjust a hydraulic valve on the tractor tointerconnect the conventional source of fluid pressure on the tractorwith the hydraulic motor 110 for the upper conveyor 95. The operatorwill also make the necessary manipulations of the hydraulic system onthe tractor to retract the cylinder 46 to lower the forward end of themain frame so that the lifter wheels 50 will extend into the ground tothe proper position for removing beets. As the harvester is movedforward, the lifter wheels 50 will pinch and raise the beets and thepaddles 52 will contact and throw the beets rearwardly onto the potatochain 70. The potato chain 70 conveys the beets rearwardly and depositsthem on the grab rolls 78.

The rotation of the grab rolls provides a scrubbing action on the beetsto clean foreign material therefrom. The foreign material removed fromthe beets is deposited through the openings between the grab rolls. Asthe beets are being cleaned by the grab rolls, they are also movedlaterally toward the vertical auger conveyor by the flighting 86 on thecross auger. If the beet harvester is working in muddy conditions sothat a relatively large amount of mud remains on the beets when they aretransferred to the grab rolls, the mud will have a tendency to pack ontothe grab rolls which will make the grab rolls much too aggressive andcould easily crush the beets between the grab rolls. However, thiscondition is prevented by the close proximity of the grab rolls to theflighting 86 of the cross auger since the flighting 86, as it movesalong the grab rolls, will remove any excess mud which is packed ontothe grab rolls.

As the beets are transferred from the cross auger conveyor to thevertical auger conveyor, the flighting 76 of the vertical auger conveyorraises the beets to a point where they are transferred through theopening in the rear of the upper end of the housing 72 onto the belt 108of the upper conveyor 95. The belt 1118 transfers the beets outwardlyand deposits the same into a truck or trailer moving alongside theharvester. Centrifical force upon the beets in the vertical auger forcesthem against the housing 72 so that the beets will be further cleaned asthey slide along the cleaning grates.

A slightly modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4-6and in essence differs from the harvester illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 bythe elimination of the grab rolls. The harvester illustrated in FIGS.4-6 is indicated generally at 210 and includes a main frame having afront frame member 212, a rear frame member 214, a left side framemember 216, front and rear right side frame members 218 and 220, anintermediate frame member 222, and a brace 224 extending between thefront and rear right frame members. The rear of the main frame issupported by a pair of wheels 226 journaled on the lower end of forkmembers 228 which have their upper ends secured to the rear frame member214 by clamps 230. By loosening the clamps 2311, the fork members 228and wheels 226 can be adjusted along the rear frame member 214 tocompensate for various row spacings.

The forward end of the main frame member is supported by a hitch 232which is adapted to have its forward end connected to a tractor drawbar.The hitch 232 is connected to the front of the main frame for bothlateral and horizontal movement. To this end a pivot post-234 issupported from the front frame member by a pair of vertically spacedforwardly extending plates 236 and a pair of support members 238 whichextendfrom the ends of the front frame member 212 to the forward end ofthe plates 236. Pivot blocks 248 and 242 are secured to the upper andlower ends, respectively, of the pivot post 234 andthe rear end of thehitch 232 is pivotally connected to the pivot block 242 by a horizontalpivot pin 244. The rod end of a cylinder 246 is pivotally connected tothe upper pivot block 240, and the anchor end of the cylinder 246 ispivotally connected to a bracket 248 on the hitch 232 so that, uponextension and retraction of the cylinder 246, the front of the mainframe will be raised and lowered.

A pair of left and right side support plates 258 and 268, respectively,are secured and depend from the main frame and are spaced slightlyinwardly from the left and right frame members 216 and 218. Each of thesupport plates is provided with a flange 262 at its upper end. whichprojects towards and is secured to the respective frame member.

A plurality of digger wheel assemblies are spaced along the front of themain frame and each includes a pair of lifter wheels 250 and a paddle252. Each pair of lifter wheels are mounted on the lower end of astandard 254 which has its upper end releasably secured to the frontframe member 212 by clamps or the like so that the lifter wheels can bemoved along the front frame member to adjust for various row spacings. Anon-circular shaft 256 extends between and has its ends journaled in thesupport plates 258 and 260 by suitable bearings. The paddles 252 aremounted on the shaft 256 for rotation therewith and each is adjustablealong the shaft 256 to compensate for various row spacings.

A chain conveyor or potato chain is supported by the support plates 256and 260 directly behind the lifter wheels 250 and includes upper andlower shafts 264 and 266 which are journaled in the support plates.Sprockets 268 are mounted on the shafts 264 and 266 and serve to mountand drive the chain 270.

A vertical auger conveyor is mounted at the righthand side of the mainframe between the rear frame member 214 and intermediate frame member222 and includes a vertical housing 272 which is provided with aplurality of'openings 273 forming a cleaning grate. Both ends of theauger housing 272 are closed, but the housing includes a laterallydirected opening adjacent its lower end and a rearwardly directedopening adjacent its upper end. An auger including a central core 274and a helical flighting 276 secured to the central core is journaledwithin the housing 272 to move beets from the lower opening to the upperopening. Although not illustrated in the drawings or described herein,the vertical auger is preferably of the type illustrated, described andclaimed in the above-mentioned copending application Ser. No. 209,116.Plates 77a, 77b and 77c are secured to the lower end of the augerhousing and the mainframe at the front, side and rear, respectively, ofthe auger housing to help secure the auger housing to the main frame andto also provide protection for the lower end of the auger housing. Theprecise manner in which the vertical auger conveyor is secured to themain frame forms no part of the present invention since numerousalternatives will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

A sheet metal trough 278 extends between the support plate 258 and theopening in the lower portion of the housing 272 and is provided with aplurality of openings 280 for a purpose to be explained hereinafter. Theend of the trough 278 adjacent the opening in the housing 272 isprovided with a downwardly depending flange 281 which is secured to thebottom wall 282 of the housing 272 to provide support for the trough278.

A cross auger having a core 284 and a helical flighting 286 secured tothe core is mounted for rotation within the trough 278. One end of thecross auger is journaled in the support plate 258 and the other end isjournaled in a bracket 288 depending from a crossbar 290 which extendsbetween and is secured to the intermediate frame member 222 and the rearframe member 214. An arcuate shield 292 directly behind the cross augerextends between the support plate 258 and the housing 272 to form acontinuation of the trough for the cross auger. The trough 278 and crossauger exincludes side walls 296 and 298 and a bottom wall 300. Theconveyor 295 is supported by a pair of plates 302 and 304 which aresecured to the housing 272 and include a portion projecting under theconveyor 295. The plates 302 and 304 also provide a guide for the beetsas they move from the housing 272 to the conveyor 295. A plurality ofrollers 306 are journaled between the side walls 296 and 298 and anendless belt or potato chain 308 is trained about the rollers. Ahydraulic motor 310 is secured to the side wall 296 and is connected toone of the rollers 306 to drive the endless belt 308. A pair ofhydraulic lines 312 and 314 extend from the motor 310 and are adapted tobe connected to the conventional hydraulic system on the tractor towhich the harvester is coupled. The conveyor 295 also extends laterallyinwardly from the vertical auger conveyor, but this feature isunimportant as far as the present invention is concerned. For anunderstanding of why the upper conveyor 295 also projects inwardly fromthe vertical auger conveyor, reference can be had to the above-mentionedcopending U. S. application Ser. No. 209,123.

The drive train for the driven components of the harvester includes amain drive line having a rear portion 316 which has its rear endrotatably supported in a transfer box 318 and its forward end journaledon the upper end of a support 320 on the front frame member. A shield322 for the rear portion 316 of the main drive line extends between thetransfer box 318 and its support 320. The front portion 324 of the maindrive line is connected to the rear portion 316 by a U-joint 236 and isadapted'to be connected to the conventional power take-off on thetractor to which the harvester is connected. A sprocket and chainassembly in the transfer box 318 transmits power from the main driveline to a gear box 328 which drives oppositely extending shafts 330 and332 in opposite directions. The shaft 330 is driven in acounterclockwise direction as viewed from the left, and the shaft 332 isdriven in a clockwise direction as viewed from the left. The shafts 330and 332 project through and are journaled in the support plates 258 and260 and are covered by a shield 334. A sprocket wheel 336 is mounted onthe outer end of the shaft 332, and a pair of sprocket wheels 338 and340 are mounted on the outer end of the shaft 330. A chain 342 istrained about the sprocket wheel 338 and a sprocket wheel 344 on theleft-hand end of the shaft 256 to drive the paddles 252 in acounterclockwise direction.

A drive chain 346 is trained about the sprocket wheel 340 and extendsdownwardly and rearwardly where it is trained about a sprocket wheel 348mounted on the left end of a shaft 350 which is journaled in the supportplate 258 and extends across the harvester to a rightangle gear box 352secured to the bottom wall 282 of the housing 272. The gear box 352 hasan output shaft 354 connected to the core 274 of the vertical auger. Anadditional sprocket wheel 356 is mounted on the lefthand end of theshaft 350 and is interconnected with a sprocket wheel 358 secured to theleft-hand end of the core 284 of the cross auger by a drive chain 360.By having the cross auger and vertical auger driven from the commonshaft 350, the two augers remain properly timedfor efficient transfer ofbeets from one auger to the other.

A jackshaft 362 is journaled on the support plate 260 and has a pair ofsprocket wheels 364 and 366 mounted thereon. A chain 370 is trainedabout the sprocket wheels 336 and 364 on the shafts 332 and 362respectively to drive the shaft 362. A sprocket wheel 372 is mounted onthe right-hand end of the shaft 264 and is interconnected with thesprocket wheel 366 by a chain 374 to drive the potato chain 270.

To provide shielding for some of the moving parts and to enhance theappearance of the harvester, a cover shield 332 is mounted on the mainframe over the digger wheel assemblies and a cover 384 is mounted on themain frame over the helical flighting 286 of the cross auger.

The operation of the beet harvester illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 isessentially the same as that illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, but in theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 there are no grab rolls to clean thebeets. The harvester illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 is essentially for use indryer soil conditions where less trash and soil remain on the beets bythe time they reach the trough 278. The remaining soil on the beets whenthey reach the trough 278 will be removed by a grating action of thebeets over the openings 280 provided in the trough 278 and by thegrating action of the beets as they slide along the openings 273.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides abeet harvester which is of simple construction, which eliminates many ofthe potato chains previously considered necessary in beet harvesters andalso provides a beet harvester which will provide a thorough job ofcleaning the beets.

Although two embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated, various modifications within the spirit and scope of theinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art and can bemade without departing from the underlying principles of the invention.Therefore, the invention should not be limited by the specificillustrations and descriptions, but only by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A root crop harvester comprising: a main frame; root digging meanssecured across the forward end of the frame; elevator means including asubstantially upright auger conveyor mounted on the frame for movingroots from the lower end thereof upwardly to a deposit area; andconveyor means suported on the main frame to receive roots from thedigging means and moving the same upwardly and laterally from the rootdigging means to the lower end of the upright auger conveyor.

2. A root crop harvester as set forth in claim 1 wherein the elevatormeans further includes a lateral conveyor means mounted on the upper endof the auger conveyor in root-receiving relationship therewith.

3. A root crop harvesting implement including forward root diggingmeans, first conveyor means rearwardly of the digging means forreceiving roots from the digging means and conveying the same upwardlyand rearwardly, second conveyor means for receiving roots from the firstconveyor means and moving the same laterally, and elevator means at oneend of the second conveyor means for receiving roots from the one end ofthe second conveyormeans and elevating the same to an upper depositarea, characterized in that the elevator means includes a substantiallyupright auger conveyor having its lower end adjacent the one end of thesecond conveyor means and a third conveyor means carried at the upperend of the auger conveyor in root-receiving relationship thereto.

4. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 3 furthercharacterized in that the second conveyor means includes elongatedtrough means extending transversely along the upper rear end of thefirst conveyor means and an auger joumaled in the trough means formoving roots depositedin the trough means along the trough to the lowerend of the upright auger conveyor.

5. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 4 furthercharacterized in that the trough means is provided with a plurality ofopenings which provide a scrubbing action on the roots as they are movedalong the trough to remove foreign material.

6. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 5 furthercharacterized in that the upright auger conveyor includes an elongatedcylindrical housing and an auger rotatably mounted in the housing, andthe housing is provided with a plurality of openings which provide ascrubbing action as the roots are moved along the housing.

7. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 4 furthercharacterized in that the trough means is at least partially formed by aplurality of elongated grab rolls extending generally parallel to andpositioned closely adjacent to the axis of rotation of the auger of thesecond conveyor means.

8. A root crop harvesting implement including forward digger wheelassemblies, first conveyor means rearwardly of the digger wheelassemblies for receiving roots from the wheel assemblies and conveyingthe same upwardly and rearwardly, second conveyor means for receivingroots from the first conveyor means and moving the same laterally, andelevator means at one end of the second conveyor means for receivingroots therefrom and elevating the same to an upper deposit area,characterized in that the second conveyor means and the elevator meansboth include an auger conveyor and the auger conveyor of the elevatormeans is substantially upright.

9. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 8 furthercharacterized in that the auger conveyor of the second conveyor meansincludes a plurality of elongated, parallel, and closely positioned grabrolls forming a trough and an auger rotatably mounted in the trough.

10. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 8 furthercharacterized in that the auger conveyor of the second conveyor includesan'elong'ated trough member extending along the rear end of the firstconveyor means in root-receiving relationship thereto, and an angerrotatably mounted in the trough.

11. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 10 furthercharacterized in that the trough member is provided with a plurality ofopenings for the discharge of foreign material.

12. A root crop harvesting implement including a plurality ofside-by-side forward digger wheel assemblies, first conveyor meansrearwardly of the digger wheel assemblies for receiving roots from thedigger wheel assemblies and conveying-the same upwardly and rearwardly,second conveyor means including an auger conveyor for receiving rootsfrom the first conveyor means and moving the same laterally, elevatormeans at the one end of the second conveyor means including asubstantially upright auger conveyor for receiving roots from the secondconveyor means and moving thesame upwardly, and third conveyor meansmounted at the upper end of the elevator means for receiving rootstherefrom and moving the same in the same lateral direction as thesecond conveyor means to an outer deposit area.

a a: a: k

1. A root crop harvester comprising: a main frame; root digging meanssecured across the forward end of the frame; elevator means including asubstantially upright auger conveyor mounted on the frame for movingroots from the lower end thereof upwardly to a deposit area; andconveyor means suported on the main frame to receive roots from thedigging means and moving the same upwardly and laterally from the rootdigging means to the lower end of the upright auger conveyor.
 2. A rootcrop harvester as set forth in claim 1 wherein the elevator meansfurther includes a lateral conveyor means mounted on the upper end ofthe auger conveyor in root-receiving relationship therewith.
 3. A rootcrop harvesting implement including forward root digging means, firstconveyor means rearwardly of the digging means for receiving roots fromthe digging means and conveying the same upwardly and rearwardly, secondconveyor means for receiving roots from the first conveyor means andmoving the same laterally, and elevator means at one end of the secondconveyor means for receiving roots from the one end of the secondconveyor means and elevating the same to an upper deposit area,characterized in that the elevator means includes a substantiallyupright auger conveyor having its lower end adjacent the one end of thesecond conveyor means And a third conveyor means carried at the upperend of the auger conveyor in root-receiving relationship thereto.
 4. Aroot crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 3 furthercharacterized in that the second conveyor means includes elongatedtrough means extending transversely along the upper rear end of thefirst conveyor means and an auger journaled in the trough means formoving roots deposited in the trough means along the trough to the lowerend of the upright auger conveyor.
 5. A root crop harvesting implementas set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that the trough meansis provided with a plurality of openings which provide a scrubbingaction on the roots as they are moved along the trough to remove foreignmaterial.
 6. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 5further characterized in that the upright auger conveyor includes anelongated cylindrical housing and an auger rotatably mounted in thehousing, and the housing is provided with a plurality of openings whichprovide a scrubbing action as the roots are moved along the housing. 7.A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim 4 furthercharacterized in that the trough means is at least partially formed by aplurality of elongated grab rolls extending generally parallel to andpositioned closely adjacent to the axis of rotation of the auger of thesecond conveyor means.
 8. A root crop harvesting implement includingforward digger wheel assemblies, first conveyor means rearwardly of thedigger wheel assemblies for receiving roots from the wheel assembliesand conveying the same upwardly and rearwardly, second conveyor meansfor receiving roots from the first conveyor means and moving the samelaterally, and elevator means at one end of the second conveyor meansfor receiving roots therefrom and elevating the same to an upper depositarea, characterized in that the second conveyor means and the elevatormeans both include an auger conveyor and the auger conveyor of theelevator means is substantially upright.
 9. A root crop harvestingimplement as set forth in claim 8 further characterized in that theauger conveyor of the second conveyor means includes a plurality ofelongated, parallel, and closely positioned grab rolls forming a troughand an auger rotatably mounted in the trough.
 10. A root crop harvestingimplement as set forth in claim 8 further characterized in that theauger conveyor of the second conveyor includes an elongated troughmember extending along the rear end of the first conveyor means inroot-receiving relationship thereto, and an auger rotatably mounted inthe trough.
 11. A root crop harvesting implement as set forth in claim10 further characterized in that the trough member is provided with aplurality of openings for the discharge of foreign material.
 12. A rootcrop harvesting implement including a plurality of side-by-side forwarddigger wheel assemblies, first conveyor means rearwardly of the diggerwheel assemblies for receiving roots from the digger wheel assembliesand conveying the same upwardly and rearwardly, second conveyor meansincluding an auger conveyor for receiving roots from the first conveyormeans and moving the same laterally, elevator means at the one end ofthe second conveyor means including a substantially upright augerconveyor for receiving roots from the second conveyor means and movingthe same upwardly, and third conveyor means mounted at the upper end ofthe elevator means for receiving roots therefrom and moving the same inthe same lateral direction as the second conveyor means to an outerdeposit area.